Passportdoc - ssc7homework

As Mahtab makes her journey from Afghanistan to a new life in Australia, you’ll be following in

her footsteps. It is Mahtab’s goal to reach Australia, and it will be your goal to complete all of the activities in this passport. Like Mahtab, you’ll face the challenges along the way, but with

persistence and determination, you can make your goal happen.

To successfully reach your goal, you’ll need to be organised. You will have to bring this handout,

your Mahtab’s Story novel and any other materials that you collect along the way to each English lesson. It might be a good idea to put all of your passport materials in a document wallet; this way all of your information will be in the one place for you to take from your locker, or take home.

Your finished passport will be marked on the following criteria:

;You have shown a thorough understanding of the novel.

;You have demonstrated good research skills.

;Your passport is properly laid out.

;Your passport is well presented.

;All pages have been included.

;You have carefully proofread your work for spelling and grammar errors.

Your teacher will give you a due date for your Passport later on in the term, but you’ll receive

further instructions on this in class.

The activities that you need to complete and put in your passport are on the following pages. There are a mixture of activities, some of which you will find easy and some that you will find difficult. Don’t be discouraged if you find some things are taking you a while (Mahtab wouldn’t be). Just

ask your teacher; after all, they’re there to help you.

As each activity is completed, tick it off on this sheet and when you think all the activities are done, double check just to make sure! Most of the activities will be completed in class, but some will be set for homework. Keep up as best you can and if things become too much, speak to your teacher. Alternatively, if you want to move ahead with the activities, you can do this too.

GOOD LUCK!

Activities

FRONT PAGE: Design a front cover for your passport. Create a symbol that represents who you are. Leave the inside of this page blank, so that you can insert a contents page later.

PAGE THREE: Create a brainstorm all about Mahtab. Include five words that you think best

describes her and two quotes from Mahtab.

PAGE FOUR: Emergency Suitcase: You have been told to evacuate your house in one hour. You

are only given a small suitcase to take which will fit only 10 items in it.

Cut out pictures or draw the things that you would take.

PAGE FIVE: Similes and Metaphors. Mahtab uses a lot of these when she is describing what is

happening to her. Find two examples of each from the novel.

PAGE SIX: Throughout the novel there are the recurring images of both kites and birds. Record

three examples of these and then discuss what do both the kites and the birds represent to

Mahtab and her family.

PAGE SEVEN: All about Malaysia, where Mahtab and her family journey to from Pakistan.

Repeat the same research that you did for Afghanistan.

PAGE EIGHT: Family means everything to Mahtab and in fleeing Afghanistan she is leaving her extended family behind. Draw a family tree of your ancestors. Include your parents and your grandparents.

PAGE NINE: Mahtab, her bother, sister and mother must be very brave when they find themselves on the boat alone, without their father. Write about a time in your life when you had to be brave.

PAGE TEN: When Mahtab first arrives in Australia she is seeing things for the first time. Write a short piece describing an area that you know – a shopping strip, a section of land, a building –

imagine that you are seeing it for the first time. Try to give a flavour of the place through your words.

PAGE ELEVEN: Trace a map of the journey that Mahtab and her family have made from Herat, Afghanistan to Australia.

PAGE TWELVE: In times of stress throughout the text, Mahtab’s family return to the old stories and songs that remind them of home and comfort them. These were the folktales and legends of their country and its people. Find your favourite childhood story and either write it out or print it off. Make sure you source it!

PAGE THIRTEEN: Pretend that you are Mahtab. Write a letter to Leila telling her about all of your experiences. Try to write in the same style that the novel has been narrated in.